A council report has recommended a wind farm application be refused because it would ‘totally destroy’ part of the countryside.

But developer E.ON UK has already by-passed Daventry District Council and lodged an appeal with the planning inspectorate, after it argued that the council exceeded its time limit in reacting to the application.

Despite the appeal set to go ahead early next year for the site at Winwick, the council has continued with its report and a planning committee will still vote on the application at its monthly meeting on Wednesday.

Known as a ‘minded to’ decision, it will confirm how the committee would have dealt with the proposal should it have been able to, which will be forwarded to the planning inspectorate.

Community manager Maria Taylor, who wrote the report, said: “The site, as specified in the application, is in one of the least windy areas in the UK and lies within a Special Landscape area as designated by saved Policy EN1 of the Daventry District Council Local Plan. The proposal to construct a wind farm does not comply with the requirements as set out in the policy and accordingly should be refused.

“One requirement is that the development should not adversely affect the character of the local landscape.

“It is unacceptable and unnecessary and, if constructed, would totally destroy an area of otherwise unspoilt countryside.”

E.ON UK has proposed to build seven wind turbines on the outskirts of Winwick, a small village with a population of around 40, close to West Haddon.

Residents in the village have joined together to form anti-wind farm group, Protect Winwick, to fight the energy company.

On E.ON UK’s website it argued that initial studies had found Winwick to be a ‘suitable place to responsibly develop a wind farm’ because it had a ‘good’ wind resource.

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